Monday, June 25, 2007

As an avid weather buff - I've been collecting meteorlogical statistics since April 1, 1974 and haven't missed a day. I was an early adopter of electronic weather stations. My first was a homemade Heathkit (I'm also an amateur radio hobbyist, WB8VQD) which I built in about 1980. Then I bought an early Davis station and finally an Oregon Scientific which I used for a few years. I eventually sold both and upgraded to a newer station, a LaCrosse.

I have two of these display units. One I have mounted in my bedroom so I can keep constant watch on the weather around the clock. The other is mounted on the living room wall for more casual (though still constant) use. All of the stats are collected on an electronic datalogger every 5 minutes. These figures are stored on CD's.

The unit shown is the electronic rain guage (top) and the anemometer/wind direction unit on the bottom. They're solar-powered and are attached to a post placed at the edge of our garden, about 100' away from the house. Readings are returned via a wireless link.

Above is the electronic outdoor thermometer/hygrometer. It's mounted on the north side of the house, protected from direct sunlight. Another similar unit, though battery-powered, collects indoor temperature/humidity readings.

Though I enjoy an electronic station, my "official" rainfall readings are taken with a standard NWS 20" gauge. I supply precipitation figures for Farmersville to the Miami Conservancy District.

The guage is mounted in the driveway and protected from blow-over by several concrete blocks. It's away from any obstructions which might alter a true reading.

Our property is amidst flat farmland and just to the east of Farmersville (this shot is facing east). Our barn is the white speck to the right of center in this shot. It's the perfect place to observe the weather with plenty of wide-open sky. Here's a map of where my station is located: